Body protective pads are used in various industrial and athletic activities by humans. Most often pads which protect body joints such as the elbow and knee are most difficult to properly form with the required degree of protective and cushioning properties as well as the necessary degree of conformity to the body and flexibility in use to allow unhampered use of the joint by the individual.
A variety of protective pads have been used in the past. In nearly all such pads, a pad or cushioning material of some sort is enclosed by a wrapper which holds the pad to the body. Various premolded configurations have been suggested for use. Organic polymeric foam materials are often used because of their good cushioning and protective properties. However, such organic polymeric foam materials when used often are particularly sensitive to difficulties in conformability and moldability to the body and do decrease flexibility of the athlete's joint.